Listening to a great book is easier than ever for local residents with Charleston County Public Library’s latest Web service - free downloadable audio books.

This new service, partly funded by the Friends of the Charleston County Library, gives patrons the ability to download books free from the library’s Web site just by using their library card number. Books are compatible with both PCs and Macs, and people can use iPods, iPhones and most MP3 devices to listen to the books.

The library contracted with Ingram Digital’s MyiLibrary Audio service and has added more than 550 downloadable titles, ranging from the latest best sellers by James Patterson or Anne Tyler to non-fiction biographies and children’s classics like the Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain.

With the system, patrons go to the library’s Web site –www.ccpl.org– and look for the “Listen to Me” icon on the left side of the home page, then select the link for MyiLibrary audio. Patrons will need their library card number to login and peruse the collection. Once they find something of interest, the audio book should be added to their virtual “bookshelf.” Initially, the system will prompt them to download Ingram Media Manager to their computer before downloading their first audio file. Patrons can have up to two downloadable audio books at a time checked out and up to two hold requests. The audio books can be checked out for up to 14 days.

MyiLibrary is the latest in CCPL’s efforts to provide more services online for patrons. In addition to the downloadable audio books, the library has online book clubs, databases and talking storybooks for children.

The Tumblebooks Library includes animated talking storybooks for children plus puzzles and games to encourage learning and reading. In the library’s online Reader’s Corner, patrons can sign up for Online Book Clubs, which send short snippets of a different book via e-mail each week so they can decide if they want to check it out. NextReads allows patrons to sign up to receive e-newsletters based on their areas of interest. NextReads’s 19 e-newsletters profile recent releases and offer suggestions based on the subject, such as science fiction, business and personal finance, popular culture and historical fiction.

In addition to these reader services, CCPL offers more than 100 research databases, with most available remotely on the Internet. The databases cover topics including history, genealogy, finance and investing, legal forms, career and job assistance, literature and science.

To learn about all the online offerings, visitwww.ccpl.orgor call Charleston County Public Library at 805-6930.